They call him Sandman; he calls them the boys.
They beat me up Id say maybe 120 different angles worth.
33-year-old co-writer and director Benny Safdie admits between hurried bites of takeout in a New York editing bay.
A24
So theyre very professional, but when its your first time…
He literally looked like a cheetah afterwards, just blacks spots all the way up and down his arms.
Hes a big movies guy so we bonded a lot over that, and we wrote him in.
As for the casting of Sandler, which may have seemed counterintuitive at first?
We grew up with him, and his work was so important to us, Josh adds.
I think we really benefited from coming off the heels of his49-city comedy tour, he continues.
Stand-up is such an art form, because you have your script and its a very specific thing.
Its about hitting beats, beats that you know are the backbone.
Theyre younger than me, so they know the new world more than me, he goes on.
I would just keep questioning the fellas what they were thinking and what they wanted.
Josh and Benny would always say, Oh!
Right there,thatsHoward.
With or without Academy gold, could the actor see himself returning to the Safdies wild world?
We talk about it constantly, man.
I love these guys, love em.
[So] of course I would die to work with them again, because its a brand-new feeling.
They really are incredible at what they do.
They were so deep in it.
They were like, I just likeGems, man.
